After a week long international break, players have returned to their clubs to fight for league points and domestic competition trophies. Well, in addition to that, we also have the biggest club competition of them all returning today: the UEFA Champions league. With the final 8 set to showdown for the next month, European soccer is reaching it's peak point of the season. Just in case you haven't heard, the teams (and their opponents) are as follows: PSG vs. Barcelona, Juventus vs. Bayern Munich, Galatasaray vs. Real Madrid and Malaga vs. Borussia Dortmund.
Today's fixtures are the juicer ones of the bunch: PSG-Barca and Juventus-Bayern. Keep reading to get our preview of how these matches will go down.
Match 1: Paris Saint Germain (Home) vs. FC Barcelona - 11:45 AM PST
The French giants face off against the Spanish stars in this game of epic proportions. Stars will not be lacking in this match, as Leo Messi & Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to lead each of their respective teams to victory. Let's see how they match up head to head:
GOALKEEPING: Barcelona = PSG. Both keepers (Valdes for Barca and Sirigu for PSG) are 3rd on the depth chart for the respective teams, and aren't exactly world beaters all the time. Whoever has the better individual game may decide the result of this match.
DEFENSE: PSG > Barcelona. I am a fan of Pique, Alves, and Alba, but they've been exposed a few times this season, and with them playing away from the Camp Nou, I think they could struggle in a game where the counter for PSG could be crucial.
MIDFIELD: Barcelona > PSG. This is a no-brainer here. FCB possess the best midfield in the world, and it will be fight for PSG to win possession in this part of the field.
OFFENSE: Barcelona > PSG. Also another easy choice. I know that Ibrahimovic has had a fantastic season, but Messi has been spectacular like always. And when you have him, it's hard to bet against him.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-2. Barca with 2 big away goals by Messi to head into the Camp Nou confident.
Match 2: FC Bayern Munich (Home) vs. Juventus - 11:45 AM PST
The German league champions go up against the Italians in another huge game. With some already hailing this as the best quarterfinal matchup, let's see how they stack up against each other:
GOALKEEPING: Juventus > Bayern. Neuer's good, but come on, Buffon is legendary. Unless Buffon has a bad game of sorts, Juve's nets should be in good hands.
DEFENSE: Bayern > Juventus. Juve boasts a strong defense, but Bayern's back 4 combined with their home fans will be tough to handle.
MIDFIELD: Juventus > Bayern. One word: Pirlo.
OFFENSE: Bayern > Juventus. When you smash a decent team like Hamburg 9-2 (!!!), I'll definitely give you the edge offense wise. That obviously means you're doing something right.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-1 Bayern. Their home crowd and offense will be too much for La Vecchia Signora, who will look to even the score back in Italy.
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So there's our predictions for tonight. What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments!
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